Genesis 4:3

Genesis 4:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
• English Standard Version (ESV)In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.

Context of Genesis 4:3

1Adam had sex with his wife, Eve. She became pregnant. She gave birth to Cain. She said, ‘With the Lord's help, I have given birth to a son.’ 2Some time later, Eve gave birth to Cain's brother. She called him Abel. When they had grown to become men, Abel took care of sheep. Cain worked on the land as a farmer. One day, it was time for the harvest. Cain brought to the Lord some of his crops as an offering. 4But Abel brought to God some of the first lambs that his sheep had given birth to. He brought pieces of fat from the best of his lambs to offer them to God. Abel and his gift pleased the Lord. 5But God was not pleased with Cain and his gift. So Cain became very angry. His face looked sad.

Genesis 4:3 word by word

וַֽיְהִ֖י מִקֵּ֣ץ יָמִ֑ים וַיָּבֵ֨א קַ֜יִן מִפְּרִ֧י הָֽאֲדָמָ֛ה מִנְחָ֖ה לַֽיהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And in processקֵץqêts · endH7093
• of timeיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• it came to pass, that Cainקַ֫יִןqayin · CainH7014
• broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• of the fruitפְּרִיperîy · fruitH6529
• of the groundאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
• an offeringמִנְחָהminchâh · offeringH4503
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Genesis 4:3

• 1 Kings 17:7After some time the stream became dry, because there had been no rain in the whole land.
• Nehemiah 13:6But when this happened, I was not in Jerusalem. In the 32nd year that King Artaxerxes ruled in Babylon, I had returned to visit him. After I had been there for some time, I asked the king to let me return to Jerusalem.
• Leviticus 2:1A person may want to give grain as a gift to the Lord. He must make it into flour. He must put oil and incense on the flour.
• Numbers 18:12I will give to you the best olive oil, the best wine and the best grain. The people give to the Lord the first part of these that they get.

Commentaries on Genesis 4:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3In process of time - ימים מקץ mikkets yamim, at the end of days. Some think the anniversary of the creation to be here intended; it is more probable that it means the Sabbath, on which Adam and his family undoubtedly offered oblations to God, as the Divine worship was certainly instituted, and no doubt the Sabbath properly observed in that family. This worship was, in its original institution, very simple. It appears to have consisted of two parts…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-16Verses 1-16 - Section IV - The Family of Adam - Cain and Abel 1. קין qayı̂n Qain (Cain), “spear-shaft,” and קנה qānah “set up, establish, gain, buy,” contain the biliteral root קן qan “set up, erect, gain.” The relations of root words are not confined to the narrow rules of our common etymology, but really extend to such instinctive usages as the unlettered speaker will invent or employ. A full examination of the Hebrew tongue leads to the conclusion…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3There was nothing wrong with offering grain to the Lord (Leviticus 2:14; Deuteronomy 26:2–4). But Cain only gave a small portion of his crops. God requires the first and best (Exodus 23:16, 19; 34:22, 26). Cain's attitude made his offering less valuable than Abel's (Hebrews 11:4). So, God did not accept Cain's offering.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. in process of time--Hebrew, "at the end of days," probably on the Sabbath. brought ... an offering unto the Lord--Both manifested, by the very act of offering, their faith in the being of God and in His claims to their reverence and worship; and had the kind of offering been left to themselves, what more natural than that the one should bring "of the fruits of the ground," and that the other should bring "of the firstlings of his flock and the fat…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 4:3

• Abel
• Antediluvians
• Cain
• Martyrdom

In the dictionaries

• Cain
• Abel
• Adam
• Agriculture
• Blood
• Burnt offering
• Call
• Cursed
• Fall
• Fat

Commentaries on Genesis 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings